The stage is all set, its décor complete; clouds everywhere and a flying ship suspended in mid-air, all in line with this year’s chosen theme: Dream a Little Dream.
The songs on offer were in their larger part executed beautifully, some more than others
In the words of comperes Josef Bonello and Ronald Briffa, the artistic idea behind this year’s Voices is to take the audience on a flight of fantasy. And once the choir is in place, the stage truly becomes a wonderful flurry of colours that project an uplifting vibe.
“Voices concerts always feature songs that everyone loves and this year will be no exception.” These words are clearly emblazoned in the programme, and the collective effort is clearly out to deliver upon this promise.
One must appreciate the long hours that all involved have put in to stage this 10-night run of concerts, but from a musical perspective there were some shortcomings. Throughout most of the show, the drums were too low in the mix to give the music that extra oomph; the guitar sound lacked depth and there were definitely a couple of choristers who shouldn’t have been placed so close to the microphones.
On a brighter note, the songs on offer were in their larger part executed beautifully, some more than others.
The choreography, given the restrictions that having so many people onstage presents, was quite entertaining. Opening number Ameno is a beautiful song simply made for events like this one, and the choir carried it beautifully. This was also true of New Cuorey’s Id-Dgħajsa tal-Latini, the only Maltese song in this year’s setlist, and of Mercy and Uptown Girl.
Of the several soloists performing, there were some wonderful surprises. While most of them came on after the interval, I have to mention Cheryl Camilleri, whose vibrant performance of Train’s Hey Soul Sister was the standout moment in the first part; her beaming smile and presence practically lighting up the theatre.
The second part of the show was, overall, more engaging, with the sound improving slightly. As a result, the music was more effective and the soloists’ performances were more powerful. Daryl Ebejer and Justin Odom did a fine job on their songs, but the best was yet to come. Rachel Fabri and Anneliese Sammut delivered a quasi-immaculate take of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. And later on, Ryan Grech’s Thriller, visually enhanced by a spirited choral zombie dance, lived up to its title.
If I had to pick the night’s three strongest performances, I’d go for Melissa Caruana’s Rolling in the Deep, a gem in terms of interpretation; Alexia Curmi’s Empire State of Mind was the most accomplished performance on the night and Dorothy Borg Bonnici’s (why is this lady not fronting a rock band?) powerhouse of a voice rounded off the evening.
Well almost, as there were two encores still to come: rather fittingly, We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions.
Despite not everything being shipshape, it was an entertaining experience, which after all, is what Voices is all about.